On "Brass in Pocket," one of the pretenders earliest singles-and their first to chart in the U.S., scoring #14 in Billboard-Chrissie Hynde sings, "I'm special, so special, I gotta have some of your attention, give it to me... more »." Formed in London in '78 with Hynde, James Honeyman Scott, Martin Chambers, and Pete Farndon, the band received massive attention for that hit and other stellar songs from their 1980 self-titled debut album. Via impeccable musicianship and Hynde's charismatic persona-equal parts cool swagger, tough-but vulnerable lyrics and vocals, and idiosyncratic rhythm guitar-the Pretenders reinvented the concept of a woman in rock 'n' roll and became one of the most popular and distinctive acts in the world. Chrissie Hynde's singular presence has never ceased to build on their artistic legacy, chronicled now for the first time in Pirate Radio.« less
On "Brass in Pocket," one of the pretenders earliest singles-and their first to chart in the U.S., scoring #14 in Billboard-Chrissie Hynde sings, "I'm special, so special, I gotta have some of your attention, give it to me." Formed in London in '78 with Hynde, James Honeyman Scott, Martin Chambers, and Pete Farndon, the band received massive attention for that hit and other stellar songs from their 1980 self-titled debut album. Via impeccable musicianship and Hynde's charismatic persona-equal parts cool swagger, tough-but vulnerable lyrics and vocals, and idiosyncratic rhythm guitar-the Pretenders reinvented the concept of a woman in rock 'n' roll and became one of the most popular and distinctive acts in the world. Chrissie Hynde's singular presence has never ceased to build on their artistic legacy, chronicled now for the first time in Pirate Radio.
CD Reviews
Excellent overview of a rock 'n' roll survivor 4 1/2 stars
Wayne Klein | My Little Blue Window, USA | 03/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Pretenders catalog has needed to be upgraded for CD for a long time. They finally get their due with this sprawling but terrific boxed set. Although it is flawed (giving equal weight to all versions of the band doesn't do the band or Chrissie Hynde's songs justice. The first three albums are essential while later ones can be a bit hit or miss), these minor flaws are more than made up for by the collection of rarities included as well as the DVD performance of the band.
Disc 1 opens with songs recorded for their first two albums as the main focus. Their first album is well represented although some classic songs are overlooked. The rarities are terrific including the demo for "Precious", the single version of "The Wait" and a rare demo of "Watching the Clothes Go Round" which would eventually show up on the retooled line up's third album. "Cuban Slide" has always been a favorite of mine and this is only its second appearance on CD to the best of my knowledge (it appeared on a UK budget priced compilation a couple of years ago). The sound quality is stellar.
Disc 2 opens with the terrific ode to survival "Back on the Chain Gang" and goes through the highlights of their third album including "My City Was Gone" and "2000 Miles". We get an alternate version of "When I Change My Life" as well as "Worlds Within Worlds". We also get the cr?me of the crop from the fourth and fifth albums. This disc closes out with a superb cover of The Beatles' "Not a Second Time".
Disc 3 continues on with the stronger tracks from the fifth album by which point The Pretenders was Hynde and a group of session musicians. The sixth album found a solid band beyond Hynde including Adam Seymour (one of the songwriters and guitarist for the short lived English band The Katydids) original drummer Martin Chambers back in the fold after being dismissed and/or leaving with the band's fourth album. We also get a nice solid group of rarities/unreleased tracks including a cover of "Angel in the Morning" (which was a big hit for Juice Newton), "Every Mother's Son" a previously unreleased demo, "Private Life", "Revolution" (not The Beatles song) and "Lovers of Today" live.
Disc 4 takes us through to the band's last recordings for Warner Brothers/Sire and includes material from their post-Sire Cds as well. The last disc 5 is a DVD of the band performing their hits live and lip synching throughout the years. It's a nice companion piece to the CD. The booklet has great rare photos from throughout the band's career. As to another reviewers concerns about these rarities/unreleased tracks being re-released as part of their original albums upgraded, that's more than likely going to happen as that is exactly what Rhino did with the Talking Heads set from a couple of years ago. The good news is that this is a strong compilation of material and does have the highlights of the band's later, weaker albums as well as their stronger ones. If you can hold out wait for the re-releases so you can pick which ones you'd like to buy and then supplement them with a greatest hits package for the highlights of the lesser albums.
"
Pretenders In A Box
Thomas Magnum | NJ, USA | 03/14/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Pirate Radio is a sprawling four disk box set (with a DVD also included) that has all the major hits plus rarities, demos and oddities expected from such a release. The music on the first two disks is classic stuff but the set wavers in the last two disks because it pays equal attention to all aspects of the band's career. That's not to say it is bad music, it pales to the band's glory days from 1979-1984. But the 1990's version of the band, which is still good, gets equal representation as the band's first two lineups which were among the greatest groups of the late 70's and mid 80's. The DVD contains live television performances and seeing the original lineup perform classics like "Tattooed Love Boys" and "Stop Your Sobbing" is well worth the viewing."
Wonderfully Done
R. M. Page | NC | 03/15/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Pretenders box set is really very beautifully done. All the hits in order of release along with other popular songs and rare tracks. Some live stuff too. The DVD contains TV appearances like on Top Of The Pops, and other live appearances through the years....And the book with the box contains liner notes & chart positions on each track and photos of every one of their records!! Plus a poster! Its worth it if you love The Pretenders!!"
DESERVING OVERVIEW OF THE PRETENDERS, ABSOLUTELY!!!
Larry Davis | NYC/Long Island, NY | 04/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Having just gotten the box, and listened to it all, I would agree with all the accolades this set has received here, and then some. I've been waiting a long time for a set like this to get released, and it was very much worth it. I always thought that their prior hits collections never did this band any justice because many of their best tunes were never released as singles. Many album tracks got played on rock and new-wave oriented stations, more so than so-called hits on Top-40. Songs from their first 3 albums and EP like "Message Of Love", "Mystery Achievement", "The Wait", "My City Was Gone", "Time The Avenger" and more. I always loved these songs and was always disappointed by their hits collections because these songs would never be included.
Now, with important bands and artists getting overviews and boxset treatments, I always thought and knew that Chrissie and the Pretenders would get this type of overview, in time, and I was right. As much as my patience was wearing thin, I just KNEW something like this would get done; I just had to wait. Low and behold, this set, "Pirate Radio" was everything I hoped for and more. It's PERFECT and "Precious" indeed, a set of such high-quality and a standard-setter for all boxsets in the future, those that are overviews as opposed to all their albums in a box, which I kinda hope happens to the Pretenders catalogue.
Musically, this box has the goods, really it does. It shows how important and exciting the original band was, and how much of a trailblazer Chrissie Hynde was, and continues to be, for not just female artists, but ALL artists!!! The band's music sounds as fresh today as it did all those years ago, and it still has both teeth and heart/soul. I love how their music has the freshness and immediacy of the best punkrock + new wave from that era, but also chops that rival the best classic rockers as well as killer pop instincts that lured mainstream fans and top 40 radio programmers, yet never lost sight of their punk roots, keeping their integrity and never losing it, fearing too much commercial success would endanger them. Not many bands treaded this balance as deftly, incorporating a slight dose of commerciality without crossing the line. The only other new wave/punk-rooted bands I can think of that did this well are the Bangles, Cheap Trick and Divinyls.
I love how "Pirate Radio" represents all eras equally, and throwing in a nice array of odds 'n' sods. Concurring what some other reviewers say who don't like this, I think, besides their "standards", it's cool to spotlight some overlooked gems and underrated records. No, their last coupla records, 2003's "Loose Screw" and 1999's "Viva El Amor", are not as perfect and important as their first 3 albums, but they are still good and have some tunes some people will not know about, so this box will open up some fans' eyes. I love how Chrissie incorporates reggae elements on "Loose Screw" like the punk rocker that she still is, and she covers that Divinyls song "Human On The Inside" on "Viva El Amor", plus the unreleased live tracks from 2003 are really cool and have bite...love her between song banter too.
The DVD is very welcome, on top of the music on the other 4 CDs.
I would say, this set is tops; next what we need are remastered/expanded versions of the catalogue. 2007 perhaps???"
FINALLY!
Daniel L. Mohs | St. Louis, Missouri United States | 04/21/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It takes record companies and/or bands so very long to condense a body of work into its greatest offerings. Not many go for these large disc sets, but they have proved to be well worthwhile in the long haul (see e.g. Tom Petty's "Rewind" and Stevie Windwood's similar box set).
If for nothing else, buy this for the distinctive mix of "Precious" --- Chrissie Hynde at her snarling, pissed off best --- "Porcelain" and the phenomenal "Cuban Slide." How these last two missed making the cut on at least one of their first three LPs beats me, but I've been waiting YEARS to find them on disc --- they were released on an EP that I believe was originally sold in the UK to promote their first LP.
Well worth the expense, not only for a good overview of the band through its many transitions and phases, but also for the rare cuts that prove they are/were one of the most important bands bridging punk rock to alternative music in the 1980s. Moreover, for you fans of distinctive female vocals and solo female artists, almost all owe a great deal to Chrissie Hynde for blazing a scorching path for their success."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1